Happy 110th Belated Birthday George Orwell!

It was George Orwell's birthday on the 25th June, to celebrate street artist Front404 decorated surveillance cameras in Utrecht. This of course  witty reference to Orwell's most famous novel 1984, a dystopian fiction where the sinister government, Big Brother, constantly watches the public on the alert for 'thought crime'.  

Front404

Front404

 

Presents for readers

Today is my birthday (yay!), and as I will be jollying around Lisbon this is a scheduled post of suggestions for presents for bibliophiles:-

One. 

How about a good book? hahaha pretty obvious, but why not? If you're stuck for ideas, have a look at my recent reviews and see what I did/didn't enjoy. Another useful place to look is goodreads which has a massive archive of reviews. Alternatively go out there and get some human contact, your local bookseller will have loads of recommendations. 

Currently on my wishlist are:-

image from Amazon.co.uk

1. The People of Forever are not Afraid- Shani Boianjiu. A coming of age novel about young women doing their national service in Israel 
2.  We, The Drowned- Carsten Jensen. A literary voyage about a crew of Danish sailors in 1848 
3. The Lost Books of the Odyssey-Zachary Mason. Continuing my current hobby for Greek epics. 
4. Far From the Tree- Andrew Solomon. Non-fiction, examining genetics and parenting     

Ok if a book is too obvious or you're not sure what the person you're buying for has read, I have plenty of other suggestions after the cut....